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Fans recently expressed their reactions to images of shockingly low attendances from this week's episode of AEW Dynamite.
AEW is one of the leading wrestling promotions in the US and the world. Since its foundation in 2019, the company's product has captured the attention, and both praise and criticism from its diverse range of viewers. Despite its success, Tony Khan's promotion has been struggling to sell tickets and draw crowds for its recent live shows.
A user on X shared a photograph taken at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, where the latest episode of Dynamite was held on January 24, 2024. The photograph revealed a number of empty seats at the venue.
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The post elicited a number of responses from fans, many of whom shared critical views on the company's ticket sales and attendance figures.
Some users held chief booker and President Tony Khan responsible for the current situation, while others alluded to criticisms launched against the company for failing to attract new viewers owing to the lack of consistent storylines. Some even contrasted AEW's crowds to that of their rival promotion, WWE.
The recentmost episode of Dynamite saw Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland defeat Penta El Zero M and Jeff Hardy respectively to continue their winning streaks in 2024. Furthermore, Deonna Purrazzo and Toni Storm met in a face-to-face interview which ended in a brawl between the Virtuosa and the Timeless One, and Thunder Rosa defeated Red Velvet in a singles bout.
Also, Sting and Darby Allin challenged Big Bill and Ricky Starks for the World Tag Team Championships. Adam Copeland overcame Minoru Suzuki in a brutal main event and promised to keep on pursuing TNT Champion Christian Cage to close the show.
Veteran journalist provided his insight into AEW's worrying ticket sales
A veteran wrestling journalist has shared his views on the subject of AEW's declining ticket sales.
Speaking on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer commented on the recent downward trend in attendance numbers and ticket distribution for AEW shows over the past few months.
Likening the company's present situation to WCW from 2000, Meltzer suggested that the promotion's recent attendance figures have been concerning, and even alluded to the potential role of newly-appointed employee Kosha Irby.
"You're getting now to WCW 2000. And people hate when I use that term, but they're getting there. And that's a scary place to be. "There's a lot of things that they could do, but they haven't. I know that Kosha Irby's in, and this is actually his job, his job is going to be to get this stuff up. And it's way too early to put any blame on him, he just got there." [H/T, Wrestletalk]
According to Meltzer, audiences may also not have been impressed by AEW's recent product, resulting in them not buying tickets for its shows. This echoed another popular point of criticism launched against the Jacksonville-based promotion. It remains to be seen whether the company will fare better as the year progresses.
How can All Elite Wrestling improve its attendance numbers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
